Lost
by MoonfireSpam23
Summary: During the destruction of the old forest, Firestar is caught by the Twolegs. He is taken to an odd place and, there, meets some odd cats with connections to his past. Meanwhile, ThunderClan faces threats from all sides in the midst of their weakness.
1. Lily Meets the Darkness Dweller

The roar sounded throughout the forest, ringing in the ears of every cat. They all knew what had happened, and few chose to accept it. Their hopes for the future had been smashed like the grass below the feet of the monstrous Twolegs; they had taken everything from the cats and, with their giant monster, smashed every hope that once dared to linger in their hearts. Everything for them was taken in one screech of black rubber turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Firestar was gone.

XXXXXX

"You okay?" A soft paw wormed its way into Firestar's ear, gently tickling him. The flame-colored tom groaned, rolled over, and attempted to go back into the land of his dreams. There, he had no worries. He didn't have the panic rising within him like a startled bird.

He didn't have to dwell on the thought that he had no idea where he was; wherever this place was at, it defidently was not in ThunderClan.

"Shh, Snow. Leave him alone." A gentle voice next to the kit softly called out; her voice echoed in the place they were in. From the sounds around the half-awake Firestar, he could guess that she padded up to her kit and pushed her away from the clan leader.

"But he smells weird!" The she-kit called Snow began to protest.

"Yeah!" A second voice, a tom, broke in and agreed with his sister. "He's different! Really, how often do we get Darkness Dwellers in the Peltless Cave?"

Firestar cracked open one exhausted green eye and gazed upon the scene in front of him. The cage surrounding him was as he had pictured it behind shut eyes-dark as his vision had been when his eyes were still closed. The only thing he could spot was a white-and-brown she-cat seated in the gray corner opposite of him; three kits sat in front of her, all appearing to be about five moons old. There was one she-cat other than Snow; she was red with a white chest, and her brother was dark brown.

Snow, white as her name suggested, reminded Firestar of his nephew, Cloudtail. Sadness pressed down on the flame-colored tom as he thought of ThunderClan. What would they be doing now without him? Nightpelt of ShadowClan couldn't become clan leader because Brokenstar was still alive, so ThunderClan would be left without a clan leader until Firestar died or returned.

_I've got to get out of here and return to my clan! I-_

His thoughts were shattered as Firestar's eyes locked with two green pools staring right at him. As Firestar sat up and watched the orange tom in the cage next to him, the mysterious cat blinked and turned away.

"Wait…" Firestar whispered; the tom vanished.

"He's up!" The red kit looked at Firestar in awe.

"A Darkness Dweller! A Darkness Dweller!" Snow chanted to her siblings while circling around the clan cat.

"Tackle him!" The brown tom threw back his head and called out to his sisters. On signal from him, the threesome leapt at the flame colored cat. Firestar, under a pile of kits, gently swatted at them with his paws. He was once again hit with a wave of sadness when his eyes looked at the red she-kit. He was remembering Squirrelpaw when she was a kit.

_At least Leafpaw is safe now, _thought Firestar. _She was trapped in a place like this before me._

"_Kits!" _The she-cat lashed her tail. "Get off of him _now! _Snow, Pine, climb down from his back! Cherry, his tail is not your play-thing!" As the three retreated to their mother, ears back and tails drooping, the white-and-brown she-cat shook her head and sighed. "I'm quite sorry about all this. They're such a pawfull, especially considering that they are under the insane idea of you being a Darkness Dweller in a Peltless Cave!" She shook her head, then paused when she spotted the lost look on Firestar's face. "You're not… Are you?"

"That depends," replied Firestar, sitting up and gazing at her. "What in StarClan's name is a Darkness Dweller and Peltless Cave?"

"This," she mewed, flicking her tail at their surroundings, "is a Peltless Cave. Remember? They're the ones who took you here."

_She must mean the Twolegs. _"Ahh, I understand now."

She nodded. "Well, the Peltless are the ones tearing down the big forest, and the cats that live there are the Darkness Dwellers."

"You mean clans?" Firestar was growing more excited by the second. Could this she-cat help him get back to ThunderClan?! "Yes, I'm from the forest. My name is Firestar."

"_Darkness Dweller!" _The three kits howled in unison.

"Y-you _are_ from there?" Her eyes widened while she pulled her kits closer to her body with her tail.

"I promise I won't harm your kits," promised Firestar. He received only a mutter in response that he couldn't understand.

Silence hung over them like a cloud over the moon. The she-cat seemed intent on not letting her kits even steal a look at Firestar anymore; Cherry, Pine, and Snow seemed to want to do the opposite. Firestar, meanwhile, was searching the cages on the opposite wall from him, all the while wondering if there was a clan cat still there.

"You." Firestar jumped in surprise. The green eyed tom was back, staring at him again. His orange pelt glowed softly under the dim Twoleg light.

"Y-yes?"

"Firestar, right? Leader of ThunderClan? Formerly Fireheart, Firepaw, and Rusty?"

Firestar frowned. "How do you know so much about me? Who are you?"

The tom ignored his questions. "I'll take that as a yes." Then, he padded softly away from Firestar and settled down in the corner of his cage. Peering into the darkness, the ThunderClan leader spotted a small gray she-cat and two golden colored toms, one of which was slightly more of a red than his companion. All three were looking from the orange tom to Firestar and back again.

Firestar turned back to the white-and-brown she-cat. "What is it with the cats here? Why am I so…" He searched for the right word. "…outcasted?"

"Darkness Dweller," she murmured in reply, not daring to return his eye contact.

"Yer a clanner! Darkness Dweller!" Snow chanted with her siblings, reminding Firestar of his first encounter with Graystripe. Clan life had surprised him then, so he could understand the mixed feelings of the kits and their mother. That didn't explain the orange tom, though, and a part of him didn't want to know what his deal was.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" Firestar looked at the she-cat in his cage. "I'd like to know."

"Lily," she replied. "My name is Lily."

**Before my readers murder me for starting a new story when I haven't finished my other stories yet, allow me to explain. This is for Pink Kitty Cat's forum challenge. I have every chapter (twenty, if you want to know) planned out in my brain and on a word document; this should be done fast. The end of November is the deadline.**

**I hope you enjoyed it! :)**


	2. Fear of the Future

**The contest thingy that this was for is over, and I was too busy with school to finish this, but I'm going to write it anyway.**

"Leafpaw, this is the millionth time today I've caught you not paying attention to me. What is the matter?"

Leafpaw snapped to attention at her mentor's voice, trying to block out the setting sun behind the small, gray cat whom watched her with narrowed eyes and a small frown. Ever since the patrol had left early that morning to help the captured clan cats, Leafpaw hadn't been able to rest, eat, or keep at least one eye at the sun or surrounding area at all times. Clear to every ThunderClan cat, her mind was never on her work, and she ended up making foolish mistakes, such as almost giving Ferncloud yarrow for her cough.

Cinderpelt had scolded her harshly; the Yellowfang in her sprang out. _"A mourning cat like her _obviously _needs to throw up! You know better than that, Leafpaw! Pay attention next time"_

Although she stayed out of her apprentice's way for most of the rest of the day and tried to give a few instructions instead, Leafpaw was never able to listen. Her mind, as always, was on her sister.

_If I didn't worry worse than an elder in leaf-bare, then perhaps I could do my duty to the clan more efficiently rather than keep everyone worrying about me whenever Squirrelpaw sets one paw out of camp! _Leafpaw scolded herself and turned her anxious eyes to her mentor.

"I'm alright, Cinderpelt," she lied, twitching her tail unconsciously.

"No, you're not. Any cat could tell, and I know you almost as well as Firestar, Sandstorm, or even Squirrelpaw!" Cinderpelt slid awkwardly to the ground of the new medicine cat den at Sunningrocks, her bad leg at an angle. She busied herself by licking her paw, yet one blue eye was locked on her apprentice like a hunter. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"I…" Leafpaw hesitated. "It's Squirrelpaw."

"Of course," Cinderpelt sighed, "since it always is. Leafpaw, tell me if this makes sense. You're worrying about Squirrelpaw so much that you are damaging Sunningrocks and the cats on it in the process; you can't control Squirrelpaw, but you can manage your now-pitiful performance as a medicine cat, yet you're fretting over your sister instead, whom will come out of this escapade if you worry about her or not."

Leafpaw sprang up. "Damaging?! I would never do that!"

Cinderpelt held up a paw. "Intentionally. You would never do that _intentionally. _Remember earlier? You almost made Ferncloud sick. Also, with all your walking around not paying one bit of attention, you keep crashing into herb stocks, and I have to clean it up; some herbs are damaged in the process and have to be thrown out. Oh, must I remind you of that little incident with almost giving deathberries to Longtail rather than juniper berries?"

"That was-"

"A mistake made because you weren't careful." When she saw her apprentice stare at her paws and shake slightly, Cinderpelt laid her tail on Leafpaw's shoulder and spoke gently. "Leafpaw, you have more promise than I've seen in a life time. Actually, you have more than I ever did. Remember this- a medicine cat must be strong, no matter what the odds against her. Even if the leader loses three lives, four warriors die, and all the kits are dead, a medicine cat must go on. There are still other cats that need tending to, and fretting over one will make the chances of the others surviving will harm the clan."

Leafpaw froze with a frown. "You sound like you're preaching to a cat who had another die."

Cinderpelt's eyes, once only on her apprentice, grew distant. "I had a lot of that…"

Just then, a yowl of grief sounded out nearby. Every cat rose their head and stared at the spot between two bushes where the noise came from. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw, curious and fearful, made their way between ThunderClan and watched as many cats trailed into the clearing. All were from ThunderClan, and every cat had the same expression of loss and hopelessness. Leafpaw felt her heart begin to pound at the lowered tails and heads; Squirrelpaw padded into Sunningrocks, but, rather than bounce around like her normal self, she watched the ground below her.

"Squirrelpaw!" Leafpaw ran up to her. "What happened? Why is everyone so sad?"

"Oh, Leafpaw," her sister wailed, "Firestar and Graystripe are gone!"

Leafpaw found herself unconsciously taking slow steps backwards until she backed into a tree, and Squirrelpaw was three fox lengths away from her. The medicine cat apprentice felt like her heart and head were struck by the sharpest claws, and they were frozen.

Her mind blanked. "Wh-what?"

"The monster got them." Thornclaw came up behind Squirrelpaw and growled. "Fox-hearted Twolegs."

"I don't…" Leafpaw shook slightly; it slowly increased with her every heartbeat. "How… Why… What…" She fought for breath.

"Eat these," a soft voice murmured to her and Squirrelpaw. "You'll feel better. Afterwards, go and get some rest."

Leafpaw, numb to the core, did what was asked of her. The herbs were tasteless in her mouth.

The sun had not fully set yet, but the two she-cats curled up next to each other in the new apprentice's den. Leafpaw found herself slightly comforted by her sibling's presence, but she doubted that she would ever by "okay" again. How could ThunderClan go on without Firestar and Graystripe? How could they survive the destruction to the forest?!

Feeling cold with the weather's embrace and recent shock, Leafpaw slowly drifted into an uncomfortable sleep, which was not even filled with the slightest dream.

**I'm not telling what happens to Firestar yet, but Graystripe isn't coming back. The exact same thing is going to happen to him; he'd be back in the PO3, if I wrote that far.**


	3. Just Another Unanswered Question

**No, you're not dreaming; I really am updating my stories. Things are still crazy in my life, so this is a once-in-a-blue-moon thing. Sadly, I can't remember every detail of where Lost**** supposed to go, but I did have the chapters planned out on a word file.**

Firestar sighed. Days had passed by since he had been captured by the Twolegs, and every time he shut his eyes to sleep, he knew his chances of getting out of the "Peltless Cave" had lessened. Was this StarClan's way of telling him he was meant to be a kittypet after all? Was Clan life not for him like he thought it was? Maybe the Clans had already left the forest, and he was left behind. The thought made him shiver.

"Are you cold?" Lily's sudden, soft mew made Firestar jump. After he told her that he was a Clan cat, she remained so distant all the time, like he had a contagious plague that would infect and kill her kits on contact. She wrapped her tail around them protectively as they tried to tackle the Clan leader once again.

Firestar sighed again. It was a bad habit he couldn't stop doing recently. "I was just thinking about my Clan. It must be so hard on them to not have a Clan leader, and I'm worried I may have been replaced…"

"Is that so bad?" Lily narrowed her eyes. "Getting out of that evil forest is the best thing that could ever happen to a cat."

"Why are you so anti-Clan cats?" Firestar asked.

Her eyes flew to the floor, away from the orange tom; Lily's tail fell to the ground, releasing her captive kits. "After I was born and able to leave my mother, my siblings and I were separated like all the other house cats normally are… I have… _had _a brother who went to the forest one day… and never came back. No one heard from him again, and I saw a new cat where he was before. Then, my Peltless died a few moons later. I tried to look for my brother, but…" Her voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you." Firestar muttered. Her story didn't make sense all the way, though. What Clan cat would murder a lost kittypet?

Lily hissed. "Like you know! Your kind are the ones who murdered him! Anyway, Scar took care of me. I _don't _need sympathy from some Darkness Dweller!"

"Who is Scar?" Lily flicked her tail to the cage behind her. Firestar couldn't see the tom in there, but he remembered his bright green eyes and strange knowledge of Firestar himself; the Clan leader longed to press Lily about the strange rogue cat, but she didn't seem to want to talk anymore. The she-cat had her back turned and was staring at the floor.

Firestar stood, stretched, and padded over to the opposite side of the cage. Lily seemed to pretend he didn't exist. "Scar? I know you're there. Come out and talk to me."

There was no reply for many heartbeats, making the anger inside Firestar grow like a fire. This tom knew everything about him yet ignored his questions. "Scar!"

"What is it, Clan cat?" The gruff voice came out of no where, followed by the soft echo of pawsteps. Scar's green eyes narrowed at the tom in front of him.

Scar looked a lot like him, Firestar realized at an instant. He was orange, but a darker shade, and white fur grew around his muzzle, ending between his eyes. His name, Firestar guessed, came from a large battle scar that never seemed to heal between his shoulders. It was worse than any scar Firestar had seen before.

"I want to know how you know so much about me… And what you know about Lily's brother."

"And why would I tell you any of that? I owe you no explanations." Scar sat and licked his paw absentmindedly.

Firestar hissed. "I deserve to know because the information concerns me! You know more about my past than some of my own Clan! And Lily's brother was killed by a Clan cat, which I am!"

"Which you _were," _Scar corrected him with a wave of a paw. "You are now among the rogues and loners. Welcome to your new life, Firestar; your old one is gone like your Clan probably is."

"_Lies! _ThunderClan would never leave without me! And if they did because the forest is too dangerous, then I _will _find them again or die trying! These Twolegs will not contain a Clan cat!"

Scar snorted. "Think what you will. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Firestar." As Scar stood and padded away, Firestar realized he knew nothing more than he started with; fury rose in him again.

While Firestar was crossing back to his nest (which was oddly uncomfortable considering it was made of something so soft), he heard the voice of a she-cat calling to him from the other side of his and Lily's cage. "May I speak with you, uh… Firestar?"

"That depends," he answered, "are you anything like he is?" His tail flicked towards Scar.

"Um… No?" The she-cat slowly became visible. She was smaller than Firestar expected, and her very dark gray fur nearly blended in with the shadows. Although she appeared to be young, something about her eyes made her seem to be different. Indescribably different.

"My name is Ferntail," she meowed, "and I have ne-"

"_You're a Clan cat?!" _Firestar wanted to howl with joy. A Clan cat! Maybe she knew something about how ThunderClan was doing, and she could-

"No." She mewed softly. "I'm sorry."

"How can that be? Your name is Ferntail, not just Fern."

She looked away. "A tortoiseshell she-cat named me." As she continued speaking, Firestar saw two figures surround her on her sides. "This is Sun and Lion; they're littermates. They were traveling with me when we were caught."

Firestar couldn't have cared less about the two brothers. He wanted to know more about Ferntail and the she-cat who named her. _Just another unanswered question, _he thought with a hiss.

"Ferntail was just sittin' round, babbling to the rogues n' loners 'bout some StarClan and Leafyspots 're whatever," the lighter one meowed.

"Lion, you're ridiculous," Sun sighed.

Firestar ignored them. "Who is Leafyspots?"

Ferntail hastily shook her head. "No, no one! It's nothing really, I-" She still wouldn't look at him. "Forget I spoke to you, okay? It's really nothing!" Appearing nervous and embarrassed, Ferntail fled between the quarreling brothers and disappeared.

"Wait! Ferntail!" She never reappeared.

"I'm not a mouse!" Lion was hissing to his brother after Ferntail left.

Sun sighed in annoyance. "I said mouse_brain, _mousebrain."

"Yer not-"

"Stop fighting!" Firestar yowled. "I need you two to help me. What's the deal with Ferntail? Who is Leafyspots?" _And why is her name not Leafspots? _"And how are the three of you related?"

"We're not," answered Sun. "As my fool of a brother said, she was… well, interesting. The things she spoke of to the rogues and loners were different, and we were interested in her, so we followed her."

"What did Ferntail do," asked Firestar. "I mean, why was she talking about… Leafyspots? Was she trying to spread the word about someone or something?" He felt foolish saying 'Leafyspots.' The name made no sense.

"Her name wasn't Leafyspots. It-"

"Yes, it was!" Lion argued with a tail flick.

"That's mousebrained. So are you."

"I am not!"

"Shut up!" Firestar hissed. What were they, kits?! "Enough on that, what about Ferntail?"

But the brothers were ignoring Firestar now; they were absorbed in their kit-like arguments. Firestar was completely alone. Ferntail was too embarrassed and nervous to talk to him. Lily was terrified of even thinking about him, and she was angry from earlier; Scar was…. Well, Firestar didn't really know _what _to think about him.

_Oh, StarClan, _Firestar thought, _Why is this happening?_


End file.
